They walked in silence, everyone being absorbed in their own thoughts. Senritsu moitoned Kurapika towards the infirmary as soon as they stepped into the school. Though the blonde's shoulders stopped shaking, he still walked with his head bowed down, hugging his injured arm to his chest. He was in a worrying state, but Killua found, he couldn't worry too much about his senior.

It was obvious that this wouldn't end well for neither of them, because even though they went there to stop the fight and help their friends, the teachers cared only about the fact that they got involved into trouble. Killua hoped they'd get "only" punished, and the problem would be settled with that. If his parents would find out that he got involved into a fight with the school's most dangerous students... But he didn't let his thoughts wander into that direction, because they arrived at the office.

Biscuit waited a few moments for everyone to catch up before knocking on the door. Beans, the chairman's assistant opened up almost immediatelly, looking baffled at the group of teachers and students. One glance at their battered appearances and the teacher's stern expressions made him clear it was urgent, so he let them in. They stood in a smaller lounge-like room, Beans rushing over to another door knocking on it twice and waiting.

"Chairman Netero, Miss Krueger, Mr. Mackernasey and their students are here!" Beans announced after a Yes was heard from the other side of the room.

"Let them in!" They heard the chairman's voice again, and the short man did as intructed, stepping out of the way.

This was Killua's first (and hopefully last) visit in Netero's office, so despite his growing anxiety he glanced around curiously. The office was smaller than the previous room, lots of bookshelves lined up at the walls. In the middle of the room stood the chairman's desk, but Netero wasn't sitting there. He stood at the window, stroking his long beard and humming. He eyed the strange gathering with growing interest, his gaze wandering from Killua to Gon (and there was a hint of a spark in the old man's eyes as he looked at the black haired boy), finally his gaze fell on Knuckle and Shoot before looking back at the teachers.

Killua only saw the chairman on the ceremonies but the old man always gave off an easygoing aura and he looked like he is utterly bored of sitting in his office, always waiting for something interesting to happen. The way he walked over to his desk, sat down and looked at his guests proved the white-haired boy's assumptions.

"Well, well," Netero snickered, "What brings you here into my office?"

Awkward silence followed his question, no one seemed how to answer it. Should they lie? It didn't seem like a good idea. Killua could have come up with something believable and maybe Knuckle and Shoot could play along, but Gon was a lost case when it came to lying. Saying that they didn't even want to fight just went there to check what was going on was out of question too, and though a small voice inside of Killua's head told him to do so, he just couldn't bring himself to it. That would have meant he wanted to cowardly pull himself out of the trouble, and it wasn't fair, it wan't right.

"We don't know what happened either," it was Gon who started talking and everyone stared at him – his friends surprised, the teachers expectant. Judging by his determined expression, he was going to tell the complete truth and Killua wasn't sure if it was a good idea. "Our friend Pairo didn't show up to lunch break, so our other friend Kurapika went to search for him. And then we heard there was a fight and we went to help."

"You say you went to help, huh?" Morel looked at them as he readjusted his sunglasses. "But you're all beaten up, except Zoldyck. So you did get into a fight, right?"

"Besides, why didn't you come to the staff room instead?" Biscuit added in her typical lecturing style.

It was a reasonable question and they looked at each other helplessly.

"We didn't think about that..." Gon scratched the back of his head looking at his feet with a guilty expression. "We heard that someone is injured and..."

"And this is exactly why should have come to get help from a teacher, Gon Freecss!" Biscuit cut the adressed off. "What you did wasn't helping the situation at all! If you came for help, we could have stepped in sooner! All you achieved was getting yourselves injured as well! She finished the scolding with an angry huff, but continued glaring at them. The students just stared at their shoes, no one daring to say something, and couldn't say anything anyway, because she was right.

"By the way Zoldyck," Morel looked at Killua, mockery clear in his tone, "how come you're in such a good shape? Did you watch from the sides how your friends got beaten up?"

Killua felt his cheeks heat up with anger, but he didn't have time to react, because Gon stepped out of the line to glare at the man.

"Killua would never do something like that!"

"Gon, that's enough!" Killua grabbed his friends jacket and yanked him back beside him. Still holding onto Gon the white-haired boy looked at Morel. "I was doing the same thing I was doing just now – trying to stop an idiot from getting into more trouble than he was in already."

Morel's face twitched, but Netero, who just watched them in silence like he watched his favourite TV show, snickered.

"And who injured your friends?" The chairman finally spoke, though he looked like he knows the answer.

"Those punks, who call themselves the Spiders, Sir," this time Knuckle answered. The teachers exchanged concerned looks, but Netero just hummed.

"Why do you think they did that?" The old man asked his next question.

"Probably because Pairo was the one, who went to the staff room for help last time, when they picked a fight with Gon," Killua said after a few minutes of contemplative silence. "This is how they payed him back.

"That makes sense..." Knuckle murmured, followed by Gon's and Shoot's nods.

"Chairman Netero, what are we going to do about this?" Biscuit turned to the old man, who got up from the desk and walked over to the window again. Killua felt his nervousness returning.

"I want to talk to the other boy's too," he hummed, stroking his beard again. Whether he meant their friends or the Spiders, wasn't clear. "I'll decide about the punishment later," he added and Killua's heart almost skipped a beat, "but the teachers will call your parents to inform them about this incident."

Killua felt his stomach drop, like someone just dropped bricks into his insides. Cold sweat ran down his temple and he was sure, that all colour disappeared from his face.

"No way..." He breathed out inaudibly, but Gon still snapped his head towards him and his eyes filled with concern.

"Is this really necessary?" The black haired boy asked, alarmed by Killua's sudden distress.

"Of course it is!" Morel snorted loudly. "If you got into trouble, bear the consequences! Besides, be glad that you got away with it so easily!"

Killua pressed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. Of course, this was an easy out for anyone else, but not for him. He would have taken any punishment, just not this... He didn't even dare to think about what will wait for him when he gets home Just the mere thought made him feel dizzy, a low buzz echoing in his ears. He felt eyes on him, his inner turmoil must have showed itself on his face, so he slowly opened his eyes to look around. Indeed, everyone in the room looked at him with varying amount of worry. Gon even extended his arms towards him in case Killua falls.

"I'm fine," he muttered and probably he really would feel better, if he could get out of this narrow office.

"You're dismissed!" Netero announced as if reading his mind.

"Go back to your classes!" Biscuit added, but the lecturing tone was missing.

The white-haired boy burst out of the room, quickly crossing the small lobby (where Beans blinked at him startled from behind his desk), and was out in the hall in a few seconds. His stuff (and everyone else's) was still in the cafeteria, so he headed there without waiting for Gon, knowing his friend would catch up in no time.

Gon grabbed his shoulder when he reached the cafeteria – they were far enough from the office, so Killua let his friend stop him. He let out a drawn out sigh before turning to Gon. The black haired boy panted for air from running after him, but his expression quickly shifted into a worried frown, when their eyes met.

"Killua..."

"Let's get our stuff!" The white-haired boy turned away, not wanting to hear what Gon wanted to say. Probably it was a question about his well-being, or maybe what has gotten into him before in the office, and Killua didn't want to answer, didn't have an answer. His stomach was already in knots from fear, and he really wasn't in the mood to explain why, especially not to Gon. His friend saw that too, because he silently followed him. Their stuff was still on that table, half-empty lunch boxes and their bags on the chairs.

The two boys packed their things together in silence, but before Killua could leave, Gon started another attempt to get something out of his white-haired friend.

"Hey Killua... I know you don't want to talk about it, but do you think your parents will be mad?"

Killua was just about to slung his bag over his shoulder, but his hand halted causing his bag hitting his side. Still, he couldn't be bothered by it. Mad wouldn't even cover his parent's reaction... He swallowed hard.

"Most likely..." He whispered, because he didn't trust his voice.

"But if you told them that you only wanted to help a friend, they surely would understand!"

Killua threw his head back and let out a loud, humorless and somewhat hysterical laughter at this absurd assumption. Poor naive Gon... Though he wasn't to blame, Killua only told him, that his parents were strict and controlling, but he never mentioned the "small " detail, that he wasn't even allowed to become friends with anyone from the "filthy commoners" as they described others. Gon looked at him with a baffled expression, he couldn't remember saying anything funny.

"Yeah, right..." Killua huffed while pulling on his hear. But he really didn't want to talk about this, so he readjusted his bag and walked towards the exit. "Come, let's go back to class before we get into more trouble!"

Gon followed him after a few moments, and though the black haired boy remained silent, Killua could still feel amber eyes staring at his back.


Killua opened the mansion's door hesitantly, only poking his head inside to glance around, then sneaking in, whe he saw no one in the foyer. Eerie calm greeted him, what made his heart beat even faster. He was sure someone will wait for his arrival – Gotoh, or maybe his mother, considering what had happened earlier – but it was quiet. He scurried into his room, before he would get noticed, and he remembered only then, that his parents were at a fancy reception that afternoon. It was an important occasion for the family, something his parents planned since months. To think that they would recieve a call like this... Killua flopped headfirst into his bed groaning – he was really screwed. The only good thing was, that he was far away in the other side of the country, busy with his studies. Killua didn't even dare to imagine, what his reaction would be like, if he'd heard what happened... He shuddered at the mere thought so he quickly got up and went to the basement – Alluka was waiting for him.

His sister lay on her stomach on the floor reading something, perking up at the loud click of the steel door.

"Brother, your're... back..." Her voice dropped and the cheerfulness disappeared from her face, when she saw him. Quickly getting up and running over to him Alluka grabbed at his sleeves as she looked up at him with big concerned eyes. Killua cursed inwardly, he was sure he wore a poker face when he entered the room.

"Did something happen?" Alluka looked really worried and Killua wondered how bad he must have looked.

"Well yeah..." He averted his gaze, not wanting to look her in the eyes. As perceptive she was, she would immediatelly know, that he was in a real pinch.

Even so, he couldn't fool her. "They will be mad, right?" Her grip on his sleeves tightened.

"I guess so," he sighed, but let a weary smile settle on his face. "Don't worry, they won't be back till dinner, so we can have some fun till then!"

Alluka gave him one last worried look before taking his hand and leading him further into the room.

"What do you want to play?" She asked him, looking frantically around to find something good.

"Anything's fine," Killua shrugged, "I let you decide."

"Hmmmm..." She pressed a finger on her pursed lips. "Let's play chess!"

She let go of his hand to rush over to a closet, disappearing waist-deep in it, as she searched for the board game.

"Found it!" She announced with a happy smile, when she reemerged with tousled hair, raising the game above her head.

A real smile appeared on Killua's face for the first time in many hours. He was grateful to his sister. He knew, that Alluka disliked chess – she could play it, but it wasn't her forte, and she hated losing. Still she chose this game, because it involved lots of thinking thus it was a great distraction. Killua sat down cross-legged, setting up the chess-pieces while he listened to Alluka's chattering – she sweared she would win this time.


"Young Master Killua, dinner is ready!" Gotoh placed Alluka's share on the table and looked at him expectantly.

"Bring mine too, I eat with Alluka!" He instructed the butler, eyes still on the board.

"I am afraid I cannot do that. Your parents wish you to spend dinner with them," the man said in his usual composed tone.

Killua let out a defeated sigh, his stomach in knots again. Alluka grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, before he got up and followed Gotoh out of the room.

When he stepped into the dinning room, the atmosphere froze.

"Yo!" He greeted his family, as he walked with a slouchy posture to his seat.

No one said a word, though he could see the anger in his father's narrowed eyes, and the way his mother gripped the cutlery it was obvious, that she was irritated as well. His brothers sneaked glances at him too – disapproval clear on Milluki's fat face while Kalluto stayed impassive.

They ate dinner in silence, but the tension never faded. Killua could barely touch his food, but he still took a few bites. It was prepared from expensive and high quality ingredients like always, but it still wasn't as good as Mito's cooking. He was just about to excuse himself, when Silva set his fork down and cleared his throat.

"Don't you think there is something, you should tell us?" It was obvious who was the adressed. Killua rolled his eyes to the ceiling as if he was in thought.

"...No...?" Killua knew he shouldn't act like this, but he couldn't stop himself. His father's darkening expression made his throat tighten, making it harder to swallow.

"Then let me help you refresh your memory. We got a call from your school today," Silva said in a quiet tone, what meant he was really angry now. Killua took another bite from his food. There was nothing he could say to defend himself, besides what he did was wrong only in his parents' eyes.

"I told you so many times before, that you shouldn't befriend anyone from that place!" Silva's fist slammed against the table making the plates and cutlery jump.

"Am I supposed to spend six years all alone?" Killua shot back, his frustration from those previous arguments building in him up again.

"I already introduced you to so many people you should become friends with!"

"I don't need friends like that!" Killua snarled.

"Clearly, you don't need friends like that either!" Silva looked at him with piercing eyes, but Killua was too angry to care.

"You're not going to tell me who I should become friends with!" He shouted finally getting up from the table and storming out of the room.

"Killu!" He heard his mother's hysteric scream behind him and soon a boney hand grabbed his shoulder and Kikyo continued with her wailing. "Why are you doing this, you know, we only want the best for you!"

That was it. That sentence again. Killua felt something snap inside him and he tore himself from his mother's grip, quickly backing away and hissing at her.

"But Killu!" Kikyo reached out again.

"Don't... come... near me!" He growled in a low voice, glaring at her with hateful eyes, and his expression made her stop. The situation was similar to that one day and Kikyo must have remembered, how could she not? But the memory made Killua stop as well, he had to remind himself to stay collected, so the happenings from almost three years ago won't get repeated.

"Leave me alone!" He whispered before turning on his heals and running towards his room, not stopping until he was inside and locked the door behind him.

He leaned against the cold wood, his back sliding down as his legs gave out and he collapsed on the floor, panting for air. His ears were still ringing, but he tried to calm down. He couldn't allow himself to do that again, he had to keep calm lest something happens again. He got up and dragged himself to his desk. Getting his laptop he nestled himself in his bed, hoping that the internet would keep him distracted enough for the rest of the night.


The next day went by in a strange mix of numbness and wakefulness. In class he closed the outside world and his thought out, focusing only on the sound of his own breathing or heartbeat, not allowing a single feeling pass through his barrier of faked calmness. Only to get shaken up by Gon in the breaks – despite being covered in bandages, it looked like Gon made into his mission to distract him from whatever he should be distracted. The black haired boy goofed around twice as much than usual, but Killua appreciated it, even though he rolled his eyes at his friends actions, flicking his forehead and calling him an idiot. Gon just grinned widely, it was a part of their usual banter after all. Killua realized it only now, how soothing it was to be around Gon. His friends cheerful attitude made him forget about everything, as if they existed in their own safe world. It felt right.

After his last period was over, Killua hurried out of the building. He wasn't too eager to go home, but being around noisy people wasn't an option either. He noticed a black car parking near the school's gates, and he sighed. It was a fancy vehicle, clearly one only rich people owned – a few students even stopped to gawk at it. Killua quickened his pace, he wanted to leave as soon as possible and without getting more attention – this is why he hated being picked up. Though after the last day's happenings he wasn't too surprised that someone came to get him.

The cars door opened when Killua got there, but the person, who got off the car made the white-haired boy stop, his eyes widen in horror and backing away a few steps. It was a tall man with long black hair and cold emotionless eyes.

"It's been a while, Killu," Illumi Zoldyck greeted him in his usual monotone voice.


A/N: I can't believe I finished typing this chapter! *twitches* I started typing early afternoon, and finished at night yeah (tho I did other things as well, BUT STILL) This is why I don't like writing longer chapters, but when I started writing, it got out of control...
But I'm proud of myself, because I managed to write this without stressing over it!

On a side note, Gon and Killua are around 14-15.

Alluka is precious, I like writing her.

As always, thank you for reading, I hope you liked it!